Are You an Authority?

Establishing yourself as an authority is the fastest way to grow your business. It brings your prospects to you, engages them, and makes you the go-to resource.

But, how do you become an authority?

Authority comes from helping people. When you’re just starting out, this likely comes from offering free advice, products, or services. As you grow, this will evolve into paid products and services. There’s lots of ways you can share your skills and talents for free when just getting started. Just a few examples: you can share your knowledge through pdf’s and eBooks, videos, podcasts, free trials, and sample services.

Authority is taking your knowledge and skills and sharing them with others for their benefit. Love your audience and provide them with things of value, whether content, a product, or a service.

Don’t just claim to be an authority, express your authority in all you do.

“To rank well, build a site so fantastic that it makes you an authority in your niche.”

– Matt Cutts, Head of the Google Web Spam Team

The entire premise of Google is based on the belief of authority:

“We believed we could build a better search. We had a simple idea, that not all pages are created equal. Some are more important.”

– Sergey Brin, Co-Founder, Google

Google determines importance mainly by the number of links and references to your site from other sites.

For example: Let’s say Gary H. is a top chef in a 5-star restaurant. He’s written several cookbooks and judges cooking competitions on a regular basis. But, Gary’s static website doesn’t share any information online other than links to purchase his cookbooks.

Along comes Joe B., an amateur cook just getting started in the industry. He’s in the process of writing a cookbook and has started an online blog. On his site, he regularly publishes his recipes and mini-cookbooks that he shares for free online.

When someone googles cooking, who do you think is going to show up? Right! Joe B. whose recipes are being shared across the internet by his audience and their friends.

That’s why it’s so important to build a community with your audience that will want to share your work with others. Equally important is having a network of others with whom you leverage your work. A great way to do this is to join a Mastermind Group. A Mastermind Group can be beneficial in a number of ways. For more information click here.

Cultivate a relationship with your audience through the use of your content and other tools, such as offering things of value at no charge. Respond to comments personally, learn more about your audience through the feedback they are providing, and shape your content and products to serve them. Continue to do this on a regular basis and you will begin to grow as an authority in your niche.